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Two pressures are measured for a blood pressure reading 1  : Systolic blood pressure is a measure of blood pressure while the heart is beating. 2  Diastolic pressure is a measure of blood pressure while the heart is relaxed.
Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure in your blood vessels between heartbeats, when your heart is resting. It is represented by the bottom number in a blood pressure reading. Systolic blood pressure measures the amount of pressure that blood exerts on vessels while the heart is beating.